Founded in 2012, PetPace brings you preventive healthcare for pets through a smart collar with sensors, which monitors vital parameters of your pet.
The collar records data and sends this data using low power, long range communication (not WiFi) to a base station called the Gateway. The Gateway (connected to internet) then transmits this data to the PetPace cloud-based server via your router or modem. In the cloud knowledge base, a real time analytical engine analyses this data for potential sickness and sends an alert to designated people (owner, vet, technician) immediately if it detects any cause for alarm. These real-time alerts are sent via SMS, email, or push notification to a PetPace mobile app (available on App Store, Google Play).
The PetPace collar is available in three sizes for dogs: Small (8-20 lbs), Medium (20-60 lbs) and large (60+lbs), and single size for cats (8-20 lbs).
Per the company website, the PetPace collar monitors the following:
- Temperature-core and ambient
- Pulse rate
- Respiratory rate
- Activity level and patterns
- Positions – eating and drinking, standing, sitting and lying down with breakdown to specific sides
- Calories burned
- HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
- Behavioural patterns
The PetPace collar is available in two versions:
Standard – For pet owner use. Objective is long-term pet health monitoring. Data is aggregated and transmitted every 30 minutes. The pet owner can view their pet’s data on their smartphone via the PetPace mobile app (Android or iOS).
Collar Price: USD 149.95 for first collar (USD 25 discount on each additional collar) PLUS
Mandatory Service Plan: Monthly Plan is USD 14.95 and Annual Plan is USD 150 (after USD 30 discount), per collar
Professional – For veterinary use. Objective is managing a veterinary hospital. With unlimited patient capacity and a hospital control center with alerts, it supports multiple patients and has an intensive, every 2 minutes monitoring mode. The vet can view their patient’s data via the PetPace web app.
Single Collar Price: USD 122 PLUS monthly Service Plan of USD 80
Bundle of Five Collars: USD 120 per collar PLUS monthly Service Plan of USD 40 per collar
Some noteworthy features of the PetPace collar:
Activity and Posture Based Alerts: By comparing the normal activity and posture of a breed of a pet with your pet’s activity, the device can alert you to proactively detect pain, medical or behaviour related problems.
Made for Outdoor Use: The device has IP-67 water resistance. Per the company, the collar works even after being submerged in water up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes. It is also dust resistant, shock proof and rugged enough for outdoor use.
Out of Range Data Tracking: When the pet is out of range of the Gateway, the data is processed and stored on the collar for at least 12 hours. When the pet returns home, all the data is transmitted from the collar through the Gateway to the server.
Hot or Not?
- What’s Hot: Standard User Manual and iOS app User Manual are both available online. You can use the PetPace collar alongside any other collar like a tick collar, invisible fence collar. The battery can last upto six weeks on a single charge. In addition to health related issues such as heat stroke, heart diseases, congestive heart failure, the PetPace collar can help detect and monitor behaviour related issues such as separation anxiety. Success Stories: The PetPace collar helped in monitoring activity for a 3 year old American Pit Bull suffering from a dangerous Heartworm parasitic infection and helped in detecting impending heart failure in a 10-year-old male Beagle suffering from Chronic Valvular Heart Disease.
- What’s Not: On top of the collar cost and the subscription fee, there is an additional shipping and handling charge of USD 10. The company currently only ships to US, Canada and UK. Also, there are no collars available for small dogs or cats which weigh less than 8 lb.
The Bottomline: At Greyhound Research, we believe that the PetPace collar offers valuable insights for both pet owners and veterinarians to remotely and proactively monitor the health of their pets/patients. That said, the collar price plus mandatory subscription cost and added shipping and handling charges may prove to be a deterrent for some pet owners.
Would you want to invest in a smart pet care device like this? Leave us a line (or two) to let us know.
About The Author: Sanchit Vir Gogia is the Chief Analyst & CEO of Greyhound Research, an independent Digital Transformation Research & Advisory firm. He also serves as Chief Futurist, Founder & CEO of Greyhound Knowledge Group. To read more about him, click here.
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